Set 1
Great opener with JACK STRAW. You can tell there is some undercurrent here already and they deliver with this version. DIRE WOLF is always just a lot of fun. This one has a blistering jam though! Where did that come from? So on this run, CASSIDY has only been ok. It is one of my favorite songs and I like it when they really work the jam. Great first mini-jam. Second jam felt like it was going somewhere then they just dropped it for some reason. Deadheads clapped anyway. I’ve heard this is a nice PEGGY-O. It starts out very strong. The jam has the audience cheering near the beginning. Then Jerry goes in a weird direction that really works before launching into a raucous - something then returning to the song. This is not a soft and lilting version but beautiful in its own right. MEXICALI starts off with a weird tempo then so does MAMA TRIED. It’s like they didn't know they were starting it. Both are good but not outstanding of course. I almost skipped MINGLEWOOD but I am so glad I didn’t. It plays differently from a lot of ‘em with Jerry taking every opportunity to fan and trill. Really special version. SCARLET BEGONIAS starts up with hope but Jerry can’t seem to remember the words. No worries because the music is superb. The big jam is powerful and sublime. Donna takes us into the segue jam . Jerry lets her moan a little then comes on in. The build-up is not huge but it has a certain intensity that takes us into FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. It’s a pretty standard one with Bobby adding lots of flourishes. About 6 minutes in Jerry says to “take it down slow” then acts like he’s ending the song. But doesn’t! They keep going at a normal pace then it starts to build with some slide thrown in. Then they end the song and - surprise - it’s the end of the set. Nice.
Set 2
Drummers are ready to go and we get SAMSON. Starts off rather tame. I mean, it’s good but standard - no take-offs. That’s ok, it was still fun. SHIP OF FOOLS up next. Bobby is adding lots of little plinks and plunks. Starts off like it’s going to be a beautiful one. Everyone seems to be on board. This is not an intense Ship but it is beautiful with the outro as sweet proof. ESTIMATED PROPHET is next with a decent job here but nothing like it would become in the 80’s - all big and important. It’s always a refreshing departure in a show because of the totally unique sound it has and what each musician does with it. Jerry takes this and won’t let it go. He is just playing with the notes and the possibilities of other things you could do with those notes. There is a mini-jam that leads into EYES OF THE WORLD. Jerry is driving this train right now or is it Bobby? Hard to say. There is no searching for the right notes, they just seem to be in the right place at the right time. This is a very fast one but everyone is right on the same page. Nice transition with Phil figured prominently. RHYTHM DEVILS is particularly lovely. SPACE plays itself out then lets IKO IKO be born from the chaos. This is a slow but deliberate version. They are all listening to each other and playing the notes that need and deserve to be played. They seem to really be enjoying this interaction. This doesn’t fly high of reach peak intensity but it is beautiful in its deliberateness. They wind it way down and take a small hop into SUGAR MAGNOLIA. We kinda loll through the verses. It is one note built upon another one with everyone seeming to participate. The jam out of the verses ever-so-slowly builds and builds with a very slow burn that builds higher and higher. The intensity I know was palpable. They are doing what they do best here. SSDD picks right back up. They slowly take it up and up. Jerry is in the background until he decides to step in again then they decide this enough and end the song. Bobby’s wailing is reminiscent (?) of Merriweather ‘83. The crowd knows what just happened and so does the Dead. This is a sparkling, crackling night.
Encore:
This feels like it should have a Brokedown Palace or Knockin on Heaven’s Door but the boys choose US BLUES instead. Oh well. I mean it’s a fun song but this show felt more meaningful than this. Maybe I should learn to play guitar and show them the better way. Of course this is a really good version dammit.

Every highlight song is arguably the best representation of its respective version in this one and it starts with Jack Straw. Numerous goosebump moments from the solo on Ship of Fools and Estimated (2 favorite versions ever), to the Scarlet/Fire, easily a top 3 version ever with a classic Jerry stutter moment on the solo, right on down to a coked up Eyes that comes off as jazzy as ever, to a really fun Iko Iko. Great versions of Dire Wolf, Peggy O and They Love Each Other as well. This is the kind of show and you look at the setlist and you don't really see anything that might stand out, but the playing is so masterful that supersedes anything else you'd normally b be looking for out of a Dead show. The band is at its tighest and loosest at the same time. March/April of 1978 is the band in one of its peak stretches and this show is the cream of the crop across the board. I cannot stop listening to it when I need a fix. No one can claim the band was overrated or didn't have good songs or musicianship after this.

Like many I thought the "Betty Boards" were always the best. Betty really knew how to record a live Grateful Dead show. What makes this one is the superb sound quality. You also got to factor in the high energy of the band playing at one of their career peak moments, early 1978.

Just listen

It doesn't get much better than this. I stumbled on this show, and the quality blew me away.
Then, I listened to the playing, and that sent me flying some more. Then I finished the show and what little face I had left searched for my hands and that leads me here.
If you're a fan of deep, rustic chops that are as chunky as they are plenty, this show is for you. I love Scarlet/Fires as much as the next guy.. but this one is sacred. Heck, this whole show is sacred. Please, do me a favor and listen to the majesty here within.
Peace ~ Nick.

Firstly: This is a sweet show. From start to finish.
Observations about the 1st set jams they are tight but in no way winded (Cassidy 6 minutes and twenty two seconds)
Both Scarlet & Fire are right around 10 minutes but cover a lot of ground.
I think I gave it a 4 last time I reviewed it but it has grown on me.
Only downside is 15 minutes of drums probably cut into the post
space song selection possibilities.
Not that I wasn't the guy dancing thru the entire Drumz anyway.
A show like this would be legendary to a community like Huntington. W.V. and I love that entire area around the Monongahela
Secondly:
If you take Donna Jean's singing on this night she is such a bigger factor in the band then she was when she joined six years earlier
as an occasional back-up singer.
The sister's influence is all over this show.
Perhaps nowhere greater than on the Aiko.
She is basically doing a modified duet with Garcia.
Anyway, I want to say that the strides that Donna Jean made during her time with the band is mindblowing.
She started out singing on 1 song
that she came on and off stage in between the PITB jam
she ended up 6 years later
singing on just about everything in the repertoire.
Donna gave both Jerry & Bob the opportunity to sing their tunes with a female singer in the mix.
Brent singing on Lazy Lightning NOT the same.
Row Jimmy- not the same without Donna.
And then a tune like Passenger
How about MUSIC NEVER
Those oh's and ah's during SCARLET.
I liked Brent. He grew on me over the years
but he never filled Donna's vocal spot
He mainly was the keys man taking over for Keith.
Yes, he could sing and as I have said before
He went from a side man to a front man
not an easy accomplishment.
But never would I say
Hey is that Donna or Brent singing backing vocals?
Also I feel like Donna's singing freed up Phil to concentrate on the bass.
As much as I like Phil in the mix vocally. Especially 1971
-It is kinda a no brainer that it is his instrumental give and take
with Garcia, that is the jazz foundation of the Grateful Dead.
Also imagine being the back-up singer for The Grateful Dead.
By their very nature with open ended jams
the back-up singer is going to be looking at much down time.
Sometimes for extended periods of the show.
Anyway Donna Jean should have got an invite to the 95 reunion
and I will say it again she deserves to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Just my two cents also this was recorded by another great sister in Grateful Dead land. excellent recording and neat story about how it was recovered.

That is one whacky Me and My Uncle. Great Show

78 is my favorite year to listen to so much energy, any 78 New Minglewood Blues rocks so hard and yeah the scarlet fire transition is beautiful just an overall great show and great year for the dead in my humble opinion

Truly balanced...love hearing everyone playing & singing throughout each song.

Seems like they had that old zing. Took some chances, had some fun. Everything
working in synch - drums and piano standout, but Jerry gets way into it in the first set solos - hey, all the way through. I wish I has been there. Has the energy of '70 and the skill of '77. Peggy-O my oh my. TLEO - so fine, Keith, so fine. And on.

Band sounds like they are having a blast. Highlights: Jack Straw, Eyes

Five star recording, one of the finest on the Archive quite easily. A clear improvement on the already superb C. Miller transfer. There might be other tapes this good, but there are none better.
As for the show, it depends on how you like the supercharged '78 style. If you like it you will love this show, which keeps up the momentum through drums without going off the rails into sloppiness as many '78s do. The first set blazes from the moment they remember what key Jack Straw is played in right through to the last note of Fire. Early '78 Scarlet Fires are justly famous; whether you think this is among the very best or is merely "average great" is up to you, but it sure ain't bad. The Peggy-O is remarkable even among the barrage of standout versions of the mid-'77 to mid-'78 era with a uniquely sharp peak to the solo. Fans of that song will want to check this one out for sure.
The Samson is cut, as noted in the source info, and hopefully will at some point be patched from the Miller fileset. Ship of Fools is one of those versions played with great energy and intent and wasn't a throwaway tune at all on this night. We're right in the middle of the golden era of Estimated Prophet, with a nice peak on the main/first solo/jam and a lovely extended outro jam with Garcia going on a long, twisted tone quest. Eyes is blazing and fast, it's a fine example of a style I don't really like.
Much has been said about the Drums segments on this tour. Certainly the drummers and the band in general were never as engaged as they were for this run, and the incredible tape really captures the fun they were having. That being said, fourteen and a half minutes is a pretty long fucking time for drums (the last four minutes plus of the "Drumz" track is actually guitar Space, with Garcia getting his MuTron freak on).
The short post-drums section maintains the energy of rest of the show and doesn't hit the overblown, out of control level that some do. This Iko is a good one for the era, maybe my favorite. The slow-burn groove isn't too slow, the solos are interesting and Garcia gets into a bit of a growly roar with the vocals by the end (and the vocal interplay with Donna is nicely done) but without getting ridiculous and grating like you'll hear in a few versions. The jam on this Sugar Mag is nice and cohesive, you can hear the hints of what would later become the big Phil-bomb/Bobby-power-chord/Jerry-fanning ending. Bobby and Donna keep their Sunshine Daydream vocal shenanigans in relative check resulting in a nice finish to the set.
Every version of US Blues on this tour pales in comparison to the Cameron version, so just go jam that one again.

36 years ago today and sounds like yesterday!

Gotta love that blazing Minglewood.

Peggy-O is nice.
The rest of the show is good, but compared to other shows in the '76 - '78 period this is only fair. And, compared to the '68 - '74 period, totally forgettable.

Best Dead show on Archive Bar None 10 out of 10

Playing-wise, sound quality-wise, that's about as good as it gets.

Man, this is a great show. I love the crisp jam in peggy-o. beauty. the boys sure can play.

My reviews cover sound quality only. This is excellent!

It was my first Dead show...I won tix from a radio station...I didn't get it ...was expecting
Boston I guess...I got it in '81..glad it's here and I see what I missed....What a great show.....Jerry sparkles....wish I would have known then what I know now......

with a blistering scarlet>fire
is a keeper, a gem, and a god send to me.
sound is almost master quality

can't go wrong with this one. a must have!

WOW this is the good stuff. Be careful it's strong.

A few weeks ago I received the greatest gift a dead head could ever want over 250 hours of dead 100 hours of JGB all DAT>TRUE1stGEN>< ALL FROM THE WELL> A friend was a big DAT taper in late 80's early 90's So I picked up a tape deck and looked through the tapes and pulled this out. The 32nd anniversary of this show. I have listen to tons of shows all years and this show was great. I could not leave the room listen to it straight through. < JUST BE HAPPY WE HAVE ALL THIS TO LOOK BACK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP COMPARING YEARS WHICH ONES BETTER WHAT SONG ON WHICH NIGHT... LOVE IT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my first show was 6-11-93 BUCKEYE>6-30-95 my last 9 in all. I MISS THE FEELING BEFORE HEADING TO A SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ENJOY EVERYONE!!!!!!!! LIVING LIFE 45 MIN AT A TIME

People Rag on 78. What ? have they no ears. Better than 77 if you ask me and this kills Cornell for sure.
Cheers Betty
Mega

This has to be one of the best, if not the best, sounding shows in the entire archive. Amazing crispness!
And the show is hot. Highlights for me is a smokin' Jack Straw and a wonderful peggy-o. Also of jammin note- Scarlet/Fire and Iko . In fact, there isn't a bad tune in the bunch. Thanks for putting this out there!

I never thought I would be able to hear the Grateful Dead like this! The way I think they would have wanted. LIVE! Thank you for sharing Betty and for everyone who made this experince possiable.

Great sound quality, and the band is in total control. Wow!

This is my favorite Jack Straw EVER. They are really on fire. Jerry's solo after the last verse is really explosive. I prefer this version even to the MacArthur Court from the same year.
Scarlet Fire is also smoking, despite some vocal flubs "shoes on her toes"

Grate performance. Grate Betty board sound quality.

The boys are a beast on this one. Sound is fantastic. The jams will grab you and take you away. Truly awesome. I love when you get that sense that Jerry and the boys are catching it and it goes and goes.
Keep on smilin'

Thanks to all who made this one possible! The audio as mentioned time and again is superb and the playin's not bad either! Keith is on fire here, listen to the metal moments on Mama and Minglewood... Keep it real!

Was reviewing the "this day in history" and glad I found this 04-16 from 31 yrs ago..agree with the previous comments on set 1, its sweet.. set 2 is great too, love the eyes>drums and ssdd.

Most assuredly the numero uno sleeper of the era. Never gets mentioned, probably deserves a top 40 or 50 ranking, even better among first sets. This MOTB/Betty also top 5% for sound quality out there. Amaze your friends tell 'em about this one.

For me, this show is certainly among the top 5 favorite GD performances of all time- and for very good reason...
Both sets are solid in their own right BUT it's the first set where the magic is, being right on par with the the best ever performed.... It's simply fabulous!
This first set is one of those performances that has instantly recognizable versions of all its songs (like 5-8-77 etc...). The versions of this show are so well played and unique that any die hard fan should be able to quickly pick up on it and tell you that you are listening to the Huntington show. That coupled with the fact that the quality of this recording is top notch will keep this set from disappearing into the masses.
JACK STRAW: starts out off key and slow but quickly turns into a raging beast and compliments of Jerry Garcia, a version never to forget.
DIRE WOLF: is short and sweet with the last two minutes of the song having great jams.

CASSIDY: Is unbelievably crisp and clean, a perfect song to BLAST while cruising down the freeway with the top down..
PEGGY O: Is a beautiful version that contains THE absolute best (and longest) musically hardcore jam possible in this particular song.(thanks Jer)
The "Cowboy Songs": are well played and flawless. Albeit not the best ones I've ever heard, great versions nonetheless
TLEO: Just listen to Keith and Jerry- need I say more... once again, a great version that is easily recognizable upon randomly hearing.
MINGLEWOOD BLUES: It is a MUST to listen to the way Weir sings this song especially when he says the word "LION'S" - a true one of a kind... Then comes the jam parts... "holy cow"... That's about the best phrase to sum up the jamming... Dig when jerry takes control of the action at around 3:33 (on my tape). This is my favorite Minglewood of all time..
SCARLET FIRE: Oh goodness, where to start on this one... I am definitely a big fan of 77,78 and I sure have heard some good ones... However, I have to say that the 77 Cornell version is the best of all time and right there tied for second place along with 7-7-78 is this here gem... From Jerrys little cap on WV in the second verse to the climax of Fire, this one was and will always be truly special....
I always used to call this the "Spanish" Scarlet because when I first got this tape in the early 90's, I thought that Garcias guitar playing had a sorta spanish flair to it. The only "downside" of this Scarlet is the spacey jam where DonnaJean moans and groans but I like that part too..
The real sh*t starts at the moment the drummers start the Fire On The Mountain beat... I have always reckoned that to an old locomotive chugging on down the smooth railroad tracks. Why? because the music and especially the percussion is just so F'ing solid and it just stays that way especially the high hat cymbals... Just listen to the high hats throughout the song..
OK, now on to the lyrics...
Listen very carefully to when Jerry starts singing and says "Long distance runner, what you standin' there for"... Right as Jerry says "for" listen to some hillbilly in the audience scream at the top of his lungs aghhhhhhhhhhhh... you have to be listening for it to hear it the first time but thereafter, you will be able to hear it every time as do I.
As for the rest of this musical masterpiece, words are hard to find that describe how awesome Jerry plays out the jammz and then as the climax jam progresses (starting at about 7:00) listen to Bobby's Guitar kick in right along Jerry as they both combine to play lead guitar to end the set.. It's musically orgasmic!
Btw, the second set is good too!

I must admit to having a big preference when listening to the good old Grateful Dead - top notch quality sounding boards. The GD played such outstanding music that it only enhances the experience when heard in the best possible quality. This is one of those shows - a great Betty board; it sounds better than the SBD´s of bands playing 30 years later.
So what of the show then? The possible 16,000 fans at Hartford witnessed one of those shows where it just feels that the band will never play a bum note. Smooth, relaxed and in total control - a great ´78 show that any deadhead will enjoy.
In total then - 5 stars for the SQ, and 4 stars for the music. and since it´s the music that matters I giving this a 4 stars.

Wow, this is an unbelievably great show with awesome sound quality. I completely agree with Grendelschoice's review below--this is an all time Top 10 for me and that's no joke. Everything is so well played and Jerry brings his A++ game. The whole show has an extremely mellow vibe, as exemplified by Iko coming out of D/S. Extremely hi quality effort here. Enjoy!

Sounding good kids. Get this one for sure.

What a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. Ditto what the other reviews say, Peggy-O, Drums, Iko, and all, brought a smile and fond remembrance back to light.

Definitely up there with the best Dead sets I've heard. The sound quality is great, and they sound really laid back.
Great laid back version of Iko Iko into a smooth Sugar Magnolia, topped off with a really fun sunshine daydream jam.

This is the best-sounding version of one of the BEST..I'm talking Top 10 best--shows the Grateful Dead ever played.
SCARLET>FIRE alone worth the price, etc. The transition jam is both beautiful and intense, and charges up to, then melts into...a dream of a FIRE. Also look for the added fun of Jerry singing "She had rings on her fingers and shoes on her toes" in SCARLET.
...and ESTIMATED>EYES worthy of some of the best performances of the previous year.
All great, including the first set....and all contained in the best-sounding board yet.

This is a fantastic sounding show!! As good a board as I have heard here. Great set list and everything is nicely played. You can tell from the opening notes of Jack Straw that this is special. A beautiful Peggy-O and a first set closer Scarlet>Fire that smokes. Even the Iko out of space is cool. A must listen.